The winter season has passed with warmer weather melting away snowbanks, but for many local high school Nordic skiers, it was a season they won’t forget.
Concord’s Nordic boys’ and girls’ teams finished solidly in fourth place at the Divisional Championship. The Crimson Tide qualified seven skiers, who placed in the top 20 finishers from both the classic and freestyle disciplines at the Division I state championship.
Hopkinton had eight skiers participate in the Meet of Champions after the girls won Division II and the boys placed second. Kearsarge sent six — two girls and four boys — after third-place finishes in the D-II championship by both teams.
Medalists went to the top six in each race at the Meet of Champions. Some skiers did not attend due to participation in other races.
For Concord, Dean Ayotte skied the course in 10:28.6 for a second-place finish, and Ben Poole finished in 4th place with a time of 10:36.2.
Kearsarge junior Adam Sprunger was the best finisher for Cougars on the boys’ side in 15th place with a time of 11:35.6. Hopkinton’s Miles Van Hoff and Jax Marshall finished 17th and 18th with times of 11:49.6 and 11:51.6.
The Crimson Tide’s Mahalie Burdette earned second place (10:45.6), and rounding out Concord’s strong performances were Vivian Wierwille (17th) and Bella Komorek (18th).
The Hopkinton girls’ team placed four in the top ten. Freshman Hannah Clarner (fourth, 11:35.4) led the pack, backed up by senior Lia Chapin (fifth, 11:45.2), senior Sofia Upton (sixth, 11:49.5) and sophomore Maisie Emerson (ninth, 12:22.6).
Kearsarge junior Katherine Blagden tied Emerson for ninth place in a photo finish, timed exactly the same at 12 minutes, 22.6 seconds.
Kearsarge’s Kelby Frenkiewich (44) at a home meet last season. Credit: ALEXANDER RAPP—Monitor staff 
Hopkinton’s Andrew Clarner led the Hawks at the Kearsarge Classic last season. Credit: ALEXANDER RAPP—Monitor staff 
Concord’s Mahalie Burdette skis in a Nordic skate race at Waterville Valley in Jan. 2025. Credit: JOSHUA SPAULDING / Salmon Press
At the Eastern High School Championships, Under-18 and Under-16, multiple local skiers had big days against some of the toughest competition in the country.
The championships were hosted at Gore Mountain in Northcreek, N.Y. from March 6-8, and the top junior Nordic skiers from Minnesota, New York, Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts and New Hampshire competed as teams. The U-16 races were held at Oak Hill in Hanover.
Each region could take up to 24 boys and 24 girls to represent them.
Concord had a big day with senior Dean Ayotte finishing ninth overall in boys Nordic skate sprint. Senior Sebastian Christie was 31st overall in boys skate sprint (1.2 km), Luke Hennessey was 57th in boys classic (7.5km) and 15th in the U-16 skate sprint and Ben Poole finished 78th overall in boys skate sprint.
Hopkinton’s Clarner finished 71st in sprints, 96th in freestyle and 99th in the classic.
Concord’s Evan Anderson finished 27th overall in boys Nordic skate sprint (1.4 km) in the U-16’s.
On the girls’ side, Mahalie Burdette finished 25th overall in the girls Nordic classic (7.5 km) in a field of 113 competitors, 30th in freestyle and 55th in sprint. In the under-16 girls, Vivian Wierwille finished 52nd overall in the Nordic classic 5K.
Kearsarge’s Katherine Blagden finished 44th in the sprint in 3 minutes and 33.89 seconds, 54th in the 7.5K classic and 79th in the 5K freestyle.